The album debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart for five weeks after its release. In January 2010, the album reached a new peak position of number one for two consecutive weeks. Lungs was eventually certified five-times platinum by the British Phonographic Industry. The album also peaked at number two for six weeks on the Irish Albums Chart.
Upon release, Lungs received generally positive reviews from music critics, who praised lead singer Florence Welch's vocals and the album's instrumentation. The album was shortlisted for the 2009 Mercury Prize, and won the MasterCard British Album award at the 2010 Brit Awards. Lungs has sold more than three million copies worldwide.
The third studio album by English indie rock band Florence and the Machine, released on 29 May 2015 by Island Records. After returning from her year-long hiatus from music, frontwoman Florence Welch returned to configure How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful, recording material that dealt with personal conflicts and struggles. In comparison to their last two efforts, the album is much more refined and stripped-down instrumentally, and incorporates a mixture of musical influences such as folk, blues and gospel.
Upon release, How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful was met with generally favourable reviews from music critics, who commended the album for its cohesion, production and Welch's vocal delivery. As a critical success, it appeared on several year-end critics' lists in late 2015. The album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart with 68,788 copies sold in its first week, becoming the band's third consecutive number-one album, while topping the charts in several other markets. Four singles have been released from the album—"What Kind of Man", "Ship to Wreck", "Queen of Peace" and "Delilah". How Big, How Blue, How Beautiful has earned the band five Grammy Award nominations, in addition to being shortlisted for the 2015 Mercury Prize.